Willow Glen opens with win over Westmont

Defensive units for Willow Glen and Westmont made big impressions on their coaches during the 2013 football opener for both teams on Sept. 13.

In linemen Luis Maciel (6-foot-4, 259) and Andrew Troxell (5-foot-10, 234) and linebacker Joseph Kaufusi (6-foot-1, 216), the host Rams had a trio of senior strongmen who controlled the line of scrimmage and helped form what must have seemed like an impenetrable wall during a 23-0 shutout win.

From the first offensive play of the game--when Kaufusi, his brother, junior lineman William Kaufusi and senior defensive back David Guardanapo raced to stop Warriors junior Dominique Frazier for no gain on the left wing--Westmont had a very difficult time moving the ball.

When senior Trevor Flint, who passed for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, exited with a shoulder injury early in the second quarter, Westmont's offense became even more challenged.

"Losing your 6-foot-4, all-league quarterback changes the script," said Westmont coach Eric Buran, who learned after the game that Flint had broken his left collarbone. "We hoped it was just a stinger. Now he could be out for the season, or heal fast and, being his non-throwing shoulder, be back toward the end. We'll see."

At the time of Flint's injury, Willow Glen already had a 14-0 lead on the strength of a pair of first-quarter touchdown runs.

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Talented running back Hakeem Mays, who hit pay dirt seven times last year as a sophomore, ran by a couple of blitzing defenders for the Rams' first points of the season. He broke through a hole created between junior center Alexis Herrera and W. Kaufusi, the right guard, for a 42-yard scoring dash.

On the Rams' next possession, Mays, who finished with 161 yards on 13 carries, set up another TD with a 26-yard run to the Westmont 9. Two plays later, junior Josh Landers bolted into the end zone from one yard out.

Willow Glen looked like it would add to its lead the next time it had the ball. The Rams started at their 16 and marched to Westmont's 9, but junior linebackers Tony Maniglia and Jaime Bragg hauled down Ram runner Isaiah Sires-Wils for no gain on second down. Then Westmont rushed senior quarterback Trent Paganini into a pair of incomplete passes. It was the second of five fourth-down stops for the Warriors in the game.

Junior Cooper Tanquaray, who led the Westmont frosh-soph to a 9-1 record and a division title in 2012, was supposed to be the back-up quarterback this season, but he broke his left collarbone during a preseason practice a few weeks back. So, 5-foot-6 senior running back Tommy Ly took over as the emergency quarterback.

Setting up in the shotgun, the first center snap he saw sailed over his head and through the back of the end zone for a safety and a 16-0 Willow Glen lead.

The Rams rounded out the scoring two minutes into the final period, when Paganini and Guardanapo connected on a 69-yard TD pass, the first on the varsity level for each player.

Paganini, who received his opportunity when Matt Toscano elected to forego football and concentrate on baseball this season, rolled left and found Guardanapo alone behind the defense and along the sideline. After earning his first career touchdown, Guardanapo converted his third PAT kick of the game, making him 20 for 21 in two seasons.

"It was great to get that touchdown," said Paganini, a 6-foot-2, 245-pounder. "I felt like I could have done better. I was off target on some, and there were some drops."

"Overall, our run game was very good and our defense really shut them down," added the Rams' newest QB, who completed 12 of 29 passes for 153 yards in his debut.

"It was a busted coverage," said Buran of the Rams' final TD. "Other than that and the first touchdown, when we let their guy run right by us, this could have been a one-touchdown game."

Westmont ventured across midfield for the first time when senior defensive lineman Nick Meyer recovered a fumble on the Rams' 32 with 2:56 left in the first half.

Frazier ran three yards to the 29 on first down, but Willow Glen quickly stifled the threat. Maciel dropped Mark Derobertis for a 5-yard loss, and J. Kaufusi sacked Ly eight yards behind the line after another bad snap. Facing fourth-and-20 at the 43, Meyer punted the ball into the end zone.

Frazier's 36-yard kickoff return after Willow Glen's last TD allowed Westmont to start a fourth-quarter possession at the Rams 48, but on second down Maciel dragged down the scrambling Ly for a 10-yard loss. Ly gained six back on the next play, but not enough for a first down and Meyer once again was called on to punt.

"I was very excited watching a lot of guys flying to the football," said Rams coach Oscar Caballero, after his team allowed a net total of just four offensive yards and did not give up a single first down until the final minute of the game, when unsportsmanlike conduct gave Westmont 15 yards.

In fact, the Warriors' longest gain, other than the penalty, did not come until the final play of the night. Ly gained eight when he completed a pass to senior receiver Zach Primeaux as time expired. The play raised Westmont's passing yardage total to 12 yards and got the Warriors' net offensive yardage total out of the red.

Until then, the nine previous Westmont possessions all went the same way: three downs and a kick. The Warriors' biggest offensive weapon was the punting of Meyer, who averaged 41 yards on nine kicks, ranging from 34 to 47 yards. Six of his punts were not returned.

Meyer also was a key player on the front line of the Westmont defense, getting in on seven tackles, including a sack.

"He's a man for us out there, a beast, with his line play and punting," said Buren about the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder.

Willow Glen's defenders were well-rested throughout the game, as Westmont ran just 31 offensive plays, not including punts, while the Rams totaled 66.

Of Maciel's five tackles, three were for losses, including two QB sacks. Guardanapo also was in on five tackles and J. Kaufusi had four. Senior Cameron Hassman made three tackles on special teams. Other Willow Glen tacklers included Landers, Mays, Troxell, Ryan Casey, W. Kaufusi, Marcel Edwards-Brame and Joey Fagundes.

The Rams racked up 22 first downs, 11 in each half, and 434 yards of total offense, including 281 rushing and153 passing.

Mays led the yardage parade with his 161 rushing, an average of 12.3 yards per carry, and two catches for 11 yards.

"Hakeem is a really special player," said Caballero. "He's well put together and explosive. As a sophomore he did a lot of great things, but now he is running more aggressively and blocking for his teammates."

Landers and Sires-Wils each ran the ball 10 times, Sires-Wills gaining 68 and Landers 53. Grant Hoffman gained four yards on four rushes and caught two passes for 14 yards. Edwards-Brame came off the bench to earn 18 yards on four tries, including a long run of 17.

"It really worked out well," said Caballero, referring to the running backs rotation. "Mays, Sires-Wils and Landers all play defense too, so this allows them to stay fresh."

Sophomore Justin Perea caught four passes for 45 yards, including a long catch of 28. Guardanapo grabbed three balls for 76 yards, including his TD, and Landers had one catch for seven.

Willow Glen will try to make it two wins in a row when it hosts Saratoga on Sept. 20, 7 p.m.

"We have a tough opponent coming up in Saratoga," Caballero said. "They will give us a different kind of test."

Saratoga, which employs a spread offense directed by outstanding senior quarterback J.J. Walters, started the season by losing twice at home. The Falcons lost 40-21 to Sacred Heart Cathedral and 41-25 to Salinas.

A week later the Rams will play at Lincoln, their final non-league tilt before starting Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton play on Oct. 4 against Pioneer.